IESLTS TESTS ADVICE

Chris Jim · June 17, 2017 CEO at Hustlr | Oxford | Engineer at Amazon, Ex-Facebook I am sitting for IELTS test this Saturday, what advice would you like to give? Take a good rest and Do NOT cram the night before. Here are some tips and advice from my own personal experience taking the IELTS test. Listening Section: Make sure for the listening section you pay attention to every detail of the conversation. Often it isn’t that you didn’t hear the conversation, it’s just that u aren’t focused. Reading Section: You will have a lot of time for this section generally speaking. Be sure to make the most out of it. If you are stuck on one question go to the next. And i’m sure you are troubled by the fact that not given/false are extremely similar. The truth is, it isn’t. Don’t interpret the passage. Rather, look for evidences as questions are always evidence-based. If u can’t figure out why the statement is right or wrong 90 percent of the time the answer is not given. Writing Section: I’m not well qualified to speak for this section. However, you should definitely spend more time on Task 2 than Task 1. For task 1, don’t write down every detail. Be sure to note down the significant trends and relationships between two graphs if there are two graphs/diagrams. Also, use a variety of vocabulary when describing degrees of change. Here’s a list of words that you can use: minimal , slight, gradual, moderate, considerable, significant, substantial, enormous, dramatic. Speaking Section: Practice by recording yourself and at the end listen to your own recording to notice the inconsistencies and errors. Then you will gradually improve. I suggest u videotape yourself( it may seem like a stupid thing to do but it is an effective way). On the test day, go in the testing room with an assuring smile and be confident. Some extra tips… It’s ok to lie in the speaking section. This way you will be able to speak at length. The examiner will be grading your English ability and not on your honesty. For certain questions if you find yourself not speaking too much you could add this at the beginning “I love/enjoy many types of ____, but if I had to choose one I would choose ______ because _______” (slot in and alter it as you see fit). Keep these four criteria in mind: - Fluency and Coherence - Lexical Resource -Grammatical Range and Accuracy -Pronunciation Use discourse markers (Ex: oh well, right, so, okay, you know, actually, well in fact, you see, at least) Remember, confidence is your best makeup. It is the key to great communication and impression. I wish you the best of luck!